Implementing strategies for data collection in chronic rhinosinusitis.

SUMMARY: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a debated topic in the international rhinologic literature because of its high prevalence, heterogeneity of clinical manifestations and unpredictability of disease course. Recently, the focus in CRS research has moved to identify biological subtypes that might explain its aetiology and clinical variability. However, these analyses are still expensive and limited to scientific purposes, so that they cannot be used on a large scale in daily practice. For this reason, we wondered if it was possible to define a risk stratification for CRS patients based only on first level investigations. The heterogeneity of the disease has given us a large amount of data compelling to find an additional storage system. Herein, we present the results of our work, the RhinoBank, as we believe that it is an easy-to-use tool for those professionals dealing with CRS and an effective system to exploit in clinical research.

Predictors of cancer mortality in elderly subjects.

Cancer mortality was analysed in 3282 elderly subjects aged > or =65 years from 2 cohorts of general population having different life-style patterns. They took part in the CASTEL (CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly), a 12-year lasting prospective Italian study. The aim of the present analysis was to identify the items able to influence cancer mortality. A biochemical profile and a questionnaire on lifestyle were collected. Continuous items were averaged and compared with analysis of variance, frequencies with the Pearson's chi2 test. Mortality was recorded yearly for 12 years from the Registrar's Office and causes of death double-checked by consulting medical case sheets and family doctors' files. The influence of items on mortality was evaluated with the Cox multivariate analysis. Relative risk (RR) of each item was adjusted for confounders. Age, gender, tobacco smoking, the presence of respiratory symptoms, low body mass index in males, serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), as well as the town of residence, were powerful predictors of cancer mortality. In the entire population, 12-year overall mortality was 49.4%, cardiovascular 22.8%, and neoplastic 11%; the latter was higher in males than in females (15.7% vs. 7.9%, p < 0.00001). In subjects with respiratory symptoms neoplastic mortality was 11.6% (RR: 1.47) vs. 9.7% in those without symptoms (p < 0.01). Subjects with very low cholesterol (< or = 178 mg/dl), those with high uric acid (> or =8.7 mg/ dl) and males with low body mass index (< or =22.7 kg/ m2) has an increased risk of cancer mortality. RR of cancer mortality increased with increasing ALT or ALP. It was approximately 1 in those having ALT and ALP between 9 and 41.2 U/I, 1.41 in those exceeding this latter level and < 1 in those below 9 U/I. RR of ALP had a similar trend, the best protective cut-off value being < 106 and the worst one > 177 U/I. When both serum enzymes were simultaneously raised, RR of cancer mortality increased to 2.84.

Cancer mortality trends in two cohorts of elderly people having different life-styles.

We analyzed cancer mortality trends in 3282 elderly subjects from two general Italian populations with different life-style patterns taking part in the Cardiovascular Study in the Elderly (CASTEL). The aim of the study was to evaluate which predictors were able to influence cancer mortality. Age, gender, tobacco smoking, the presence of respiratory symptoms, increased serum levels of ALT and ALP, and the town of residence were powerful predictors. Subjects living in Chioggia (low income, rural) had significantly greater lung and liver cancer mortality, compared with those living in Castelfranco (industrial). The findings suggest that an incongruous life-style (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor hygienic conditions) may increase cancer mortality despite the favorable environmental conditions typical of rural Mediterranean areas.

The developmental toxicity of xylene and xylene isomers in the Hydra assay.

Two laboratories tested multiple forms of xylene for their developmental toxicity hazard potential (A/D ratio) by means of the hydra assay. The three isomers, as well as a solution of mixed xylenes, all interfered with development (D) at or near to concentrations that also were toxic to adult (A) hydra. The A/D ratios ranged from 1 to 2 in hydra as they had in conventional tests made in pregnant laboratory animals. Each testing laboratory concluded that xylenes were not primary developmental hazards but coaffective agents capable of disrupting development only at or near to concentrations also toxic to adults. In each instance every xylene tested interfered with the same stage or developmental sequence and in a concentration-related manner. The hydra assay may be useful for establishing priorities to test agents in a more elaborate system, but substances less soluble than xylene may exceed the test's applicability.

Spinal reflex activity in patients with chronic Chagas' disease.

Se llevo a cabo un estudio eletrofisiologico de la actividad refleja medular, tanto excitatoria (ondas H y T) como inhibitoria (periodo silente), en pacientes con enfermedad de Chagas cronica. Los valores de las respuestas, no fueron significativamente diferentes cuando se compararon los grupos controles con los integrados con pacientes con numero disminuido de unidades motoras funcionantes, y con aquellos otros que mostraron numero normal de unidades motoras. Los hallazgos obtenidos sugieren la indemnidad de los circuitos metamericos correspondientes a la actividad refleja estudiada y de las vias descendentes que actuan modulando esa actividad